A Second Chance
by ButtercupRocks
Summary: What if Percy didn't save Olympus? For years, Percy has been in hiding, not wanting to face his past. Meanwhile, demigods, mortals, and gods have been under the oppression of Kronos. Percy decides that it is time to take responsibility and right his wrongs. Not only must he defeat the Titans, he must also win the heart of the Betrayer, who holds the secret to the Titan's demise.
1. Prologue

**Chapter One**

**The Fatal Flaw**

I am not a hero.

Would a hero turn away and run when everything goes wrong? Would he abandon his people in times of despair? Being a demigod doesn't make me a hero; it just makes me that much more dangerous. There is no excuse for what I caused.

I've left my past behind. But the guilt that came from still feels fresh up to this day. It's all I have felt for ten years. I have never once returned to the world above. If I ever show my face to them again, they'd probably kill me themselves. There is no one mourning for me, no one waiting for my return. They have probably forgotten about me since nobody would want to remember the thoughtless half-blood that ruined everything.

"Why shouldn't I just end my life?" I'd think to myself often. It sounds like a perfect plan, but it's not. Titans are ruling this world, so I don't know where I'll end up should I ever decide to kill myself… Yes, Titans are ruling the world, and yes, it is because of me.

So here I am: the failure of Olympus. I've been on the run for ten years, not wanting to face my past. I haven't heard another human voice in so long. My only friends are the creatures below the sea. For ten years, I've been completely and utterly alone.

**10 Years Ago**

"Percy, look! There he goes!" I heard my friend, Grover, yell as we raced into Olympus. I looked at the direction Grover was pointing to and saw my old enemy, Luke – or rather, Kronos.

I darted towards the Titan. Following behind me was Grover and Annabeth. I took a moment to look back at them while I was racing ahead. They looked battered and beaten from the battle just outside the Empire State Building. I couldn't help but feel bad for them. Bearing the curse of Achilles allows me to be practically invincible during a battle, so naturally I didn't get a scratch on me from the battle. My friends, on the other hand, look exhausted and broken with blood and sweat dripping from their bodies. To make matters worse, 10 tons of rock fell on Thalia's leg, causing us to reluctantly leave her behind.

Luke just made it to the throne room when Grover, Annabeth, and I approached him cautiously. "Luke," Annabeth said in a soothing but assertive voice. "Stop what you're doing."

He quickly faced us and chuckled with a roar. "Luke is gone. And soon," he continued with a darkened voice, "You, too, will diminish – you and those Olympians." He finished with a disturbing smile.

"Luke," Annabeth continued as if Kronos never spoke. "Listen to me... You promised me. Remember."

For a moment, I thought I saw innocent confusion in Luke's eyes. I looked back at Annabeth, who looked calm as ever, and at Grover, who I knew was petrified beyond description but chose not to show his fear.

It amazed me how much hope Annabeth has. Personally, I thought we've seen the last of the real Luke. Kronos is much too powerful. But as for Annabeth – she has so much patience and understanding that I can't keep up with her a lot of the time. She fervently believed Luke could still come back.

Luke's expression turned dark once again. With a simple flick of the hand, he sent Annabeth flying across the room, landing with a thud. I felt anger surge up inside me as I pulled out Riptide and charged at Kronos. Quickly he turned just in time to counter my attack. I attempted to swing my sword across his body, but he only sidestepped out of the way. I struck again, but he was too quick. With his free hand, he punched me in the stomach so hard, it could've easily killed me if I hadn't had the Achilles curse. Gasping for breath, I regained my balance again, charging at Kronos with all the speed I could muster. He thrust his sword as I closed the space between us, but I quickly crouched and slid past him, grabbing his scythe in the process and throwing it across the room. Before he could turn around, I raised my sword. But before I could strike down on him, I made the mistake of looking at his eyes.

I saw the old Luke. The one I met when I first arrived at Camp Half-Blood. Shaking my head, I came back to my senses. I held on tighter to Riptide as I prepared to strike.

"Wait!" I heard Annabeth yell out. I kept Riptide in place as I looked away in confusion. Annabeth came limping towards us with Grover assisting her. She was bruised and weak, but the hope she had was still evident on her face. She began talking to Kronos as if it were the old Luke. "Your mother – she knew your fate." That caused the dark expression of Luke's to slowly fade. She continued talking about their childhood together, and suddenly Kronos' anger began to build again. He struck her, and then after seeing the blood he caused her, the real Luke came forth once more. He turned to me and begged me to kill him. Grover and Annabeth were weaponless so I had to do it.

"Please," Luke pleaded in desperation, "Kronos is too strong. I can't hold him back for longer. There's no time." His body began to glow.

As much as I hated Luke, how could I kill him when he is absolutely vulnerable and defenseless? Moreover, he was my old friend Luke again. I debated whether or not I should trust him. _Is it really Luke?_

I searched his face for any sign of sincerity. He had a pained expression of torment and desperation. Tears were falling repeatedly as he looked at me with wide, pleading eyes, and his hands were raised to show me that he was not going to fight back. "Please, Percy," he whispered as light shined from his lips. My breathing quickened and my hands felt almost weak, but I tightened my grip on Riptide.

That was when everything went downhill. My fatal flaw: I care too much. I am too loyal. I believed Luke for that one moment. I handed him the knife secured in my belt, giving him the chance to be the hero I once thought he was. I believed in Luke: how utterly stupid of me.

Instead of sacrificing himself like I believed he would do, he paused. He threw the knife into the hearth and gave a viciously daunting chuckle. How could I, for even one moment, believe that my once good friend Luke had returned?

I took hold of Riptide, ready to strike Kronos; but his power was much too great. Riptide felt ten times heavier in my hands. With a mere flick of a finger, he sent it out of my hands and into the dark sky.

Time seemed to stop. My huge mistake kept playing over and over in my mind.

"Percy!" Grover yelled in horror, breaking me out of my trance. "It's too late. We have to go!" I could see the immense fear in his expression. I didn't need an empathy link to know that much. I looked over at Kronos. By then, he was sitting atop Lord Zeus' throne, wearing that smug smirk that haunts my dreams to this day.

"Percy, please! Hurry!" Annabeth demanded. She frantically grabbed my arm and we started to run in panic. Kronos was rising, and it was too late to stop him. His light was growing brighter and brighter by the second.

_Oh gods, no__…__ Please, no. _I kept repeating in my head.

We made it down the elevator and into the street. The battle had ceased. Everyone stopped fighting and turned to see the extreme bright light coming from the top of Olympus.

A Hunter – who probably didn't realize that I was standing next to her – whispered in terror, "They failed. It can't be." Then she closed her eyes, trying to still her nervous breath.

She is right. I did fail. I gave Luke the weapon that I was to kill him with. I brought disaster to the world. Me. The supposed Savior of Olympus.

I looked around me, at all my friends from Camp Half-Blood. They all looked utterly disappointed and frightened. I couldn't bear it. I looked at Annabeth, who was also looking up at the glowing light atop the Empire State Building. I studied her face, which was filled with different emotions – but I could tell what she was thinking: "What did Percy do?" I could see it in her frightened eyes. I look down and realize that she was still holding my hand, gripping it tightly due to her immense panic. She didn't seem to notice she was nearly draining the life out of my hand, but I kept it in place, knowing that she needed some comfort.

But the fact was she wouldn't need my comfort if I had just saved Olympus like I should have. I felt a heavy weight in my heart that kept pulling me down: guilt. I looked at Grover. Unlike everybody else, his eyes were fixed on the ground with tears threatening to fall. His eyebrows were furrowed as he shook his head in disappointment.

I did this. I was supposed to stop Kronos. I felt my limbs weaken and my heart grow heavier by the second. I could feel my chest rise and fall as I hyperventilated. I couldn't bear it. Everyone I cared about – I had failed all of them. I led them all into a bloody battle only for this to happen. I slipped my hand away from Annabeth, which she didn't seem to notice, and I slowly backed away from the crowd, shamefully wanting to get away from this mess.

"Percy," I heard a voice say from behind me. I turned around, trying to hold back my tears.

"Dad." I could barely make out a sound. "I… Please, I didn't mean for this to happen," I begged. I felt like the air in my lungs was rapidly decreasing by the minute.

Poseidon put a hand up to stop me. I couldn't read his expression, but he was certainly like the rest of them: disappointed, hopeless. He closed his eyes, sighed, and shook his head. I failed him too. Once upon a time, he called me his favorite son.

"Kronos is here," he said in a stern voice. "He is now sitting on the throne of Zeus! What happened?"

I couldn't meet his eyes. "Dad, I'm sorry. I thought he was Luke, but he–" His stone-cold expression hadn't changed. I wanted so badly to go back in time to fix my mistake. I didn't want my own father looking at me with such distaste and disappointment.

I knew that whatever story I give to him, it will all come down to this: I helped destroy Olympus.

* * *

**A/N: **Just a side note: Forget that a Titan's true form would kill any mortal within a mile from him. Also, I'm going to stay true to Rick Riordan's story and characters as much as possible, so you won't be seeing anything totally out of the ordinary. It's basically just a continuation of the series, if you will. So yes, please tell me what you think. I'd really like to know :D Thank you.


	2. I Take Advice from a Jellyfish

**Chapter Two  
**I Take Advice from a Jellyfish

How dark and depressing…

My small underwater home, my isolated life. I had gotten quite used to this home – if you could call it a home. I made it out of the sea rock and created a thick air bubble that surrounds the home to keep the rocks from floating away. This place is painfully silent with no life except the occasional deep-sea creature here and there. I live so deep into the ocean that even the Titan, Oceanus, could not be able to find me down here, or I hope he wouldn't. No mortal would dare live down here. It's far too dark even for my Poseidon-child eyes. No one would find me here. No one would _want_ to find me for that matter. I'm sure they still silently curse me for what I had done years ago.

I sigh and stare blankly into the darkness. What would my life be like if I had killed Kronos like I should have done? Sometimes, I'll admit, I would like to return back to the place I once called home. I would like to see my mother again. Sometimes I want to go back to Camp Half-Blood. I want to see my old friends again. But I know that if I do ever convince myself to go back, nothing will be as it once was. The world I left ten years ago is not the same anymore obviously because I left the world to the Titans. Camp Half-Blood no longer exists. New York no longer exists. Everything and everyone I once knew, for all I know, no longer exists. If I go back up there, I'd be a stranger.

I look up toward the surface, wishing so badly that I can go back in time and prevent this chaos. But I know that there is no way possible to change the past. And I'll probably spend the rest of my life in the dark hole of a home.

I am now 26 years old. I am an adult that never got to experience high school; that never got to walk across a graduation stage; never got to share a dorm with a college roommate; never got to experience that nervous feeling of proposing to a girl of my dreams. There are so many things I never got to do before I left. I did not even say goodbye to my mother or my friends. I'm sure my mother believes that I am dead. I never sent her the blue signal that meant that I survived. Everybody I once knew probably thinks I'm dead. I might as well be, seeing as I've disappeared into the depths of the ocean. Perhaps they've even forgotten I have ever existed. That's good, I guess. That'll mean they've forgotten it was my fault that they are suffering under the Titans.

_My lord, what is the matter? _A jellyfish invades my space, insisting on a conversation. Ah, the only things I've talked to in ten years. It knocks on my air bubble, asking to be let in.

I finally decide to give in. I give the jellyfish it's own bubble of water and allow it to enter my home. "I told you not to call me that anymore. I'm not your lord."

_Yes, as you wish, my good liege._

I sigh, knowing there was no use trying to correct him.

_Please, sir, what is wrong? For weeks I have seen you so __down__cast._

"Weeks…" I say with a pained smile. "If only the time had actually been that short."

_You are the only mortal __I have seen__ to__ dwell under the sea. __Only a __derange__d mind would think it is suitable to stay here__…__ Oh! Not that you are deranged, my lord. I am merely stating __–_

"Yeah, I know," I nod, putting a hand up to quiet the nervous jellyfish. "I suppose I am sort of crazy for staying down here for so long; but I just can't… return back up there. Do you understand?"

How could I ever return back to the land above? As much as I wished to be part of that world again, I could never show my face to them. I am symbol of hopelessness and failure to them. And who would want that back in the world?

_I understand, my lord. Well, since we are on the subject of deranged minds, what is happening in your mind while you sleep? You seem__…__ so troubled. It__'__s as if someone is talking to you, but then I see that you are still sleeping._

"That would nightmares, unfortunately," I informed.

_Nightmares, _he repeated. _How terrifying._

"Yeah, well…" I sigh and shrug. After dealing with strange dreams for 15 years, I've gotten quite used it and the feeling of confusion it gives me.

_My lord, you should consider finding some sort of treatment to this issue, perhaps?_

"Thanks for the advice, but believe me, if there was something to stop these dreams, I would have already taken –"

A sharp pain strikes my stomach. It feels as if someone has stabbed a knife into me. I gasp in pain, feeling weaker, and my breathing quickens. The pain grows heavier and heavier. I look around frantically while putting a hand to my stomach. All I see is the darkness of my empty home. I feel faint. I can't breathe. The air bubble that surrounds me starts to concave as water begins to spill in. I weakly reach into my pocket for my sword, Riptide, but as soon as I uncap it, the pain mysteriously ceases. Perks of having the Achilles' curse, I suppose. I turn a full 360 but see no one but the jellyfish, who looked just as scared as I did. Catching my breath, I recap Riptide and place it back in my pocket.

_My lord__…__ Are you alright?_

I don't even know. What just happened to me? I still my breath and attempt to calm down. With a swift movement of my hand, I repair the air bubble. I lift up my shirt to examine my stomach where I felt the pain. There is no mark.

That night another dream comes to haunt me.

"Percy," a gentle voice whispers to me. The voice is deep and calming. I look around but see no one. I open my mouth to speak, but no words come out.

The room slowly brightens but my vision is still blurry. "Percy," the voice calls again. I can barely make out any images. I turn toward the direction of the voice and see a bright shape.

Another voice comes to. It's higher pitched than the last one. The dialogue is unclear as well as it fades in and out occasionally. "Are you sure he can… you… Does the… -ill work?"

"-t should," the first voice replies. "I created… he rescued me… marry Cyclops… -aven't used it…. time."

Cyclops? I haven't even thought about those creatures in so long. I almost forgot my half-brother, Tyson. Ten long years can really take away beloved memories.

"… Good," the second voice answers. "Tell… should know."

Suddenly the room brightens dramatically and my vision clears. However with all the lights shining into my eyes, all I can see is someone's part of the body: fur.

"Percy." The voice is now completely undistorted and strong. "We need you."

I wake up with a start. Unlike most of my dreams, this one wasn't a nightmare. Dreams prior to this night usually consist of blood and tears. But this dream was different. It gave me a weird feeling that I hadn't felt in a long time: hope. If this dream is true, someone in the world needs me. Someone wants me back in their lives some way or another. I can be useful for once. I could maybe prove myself a hero again. I could...

No... I can't. What am I saying? Have I truly lost my mind? The only reason why someone would ever want me back is to say to my face the curses they've been holding back for years. I'm only fooling myself.

"Percy," the same deep, gentle voice from my dream whispers. Startled, I uncap Riptide and thrust it around, shining it's light around me, but no one is here. I'm not dreaming anymore. How can I still be dreaming without sleeping? Or am I dreaming at all?

With a nervous gulp, I start, "Who… How do you know me?"

After a long pause, the voice comes back again. "Percy Jackson. Where are you?"

My breath begins to quicken as I look from side to side. "Who are you?" It's been so long since I've heard a voice outside of my dreams; it almost makes me feel… human again.

Again, the deep voice comes, ignoring my question. "Hurry."

Now I am completely terrified and anxious. How did someone find me here? Who is this mysterious voice?

Suddenly, I hear a loud cry of pain ringing in my ears. This voice is not one that I heard in my dreams. It is the voice of older woman. Now hyperventilating, I run throughout my home, searching for a human. But I find absolutely no one here. The scream rings again, threatening to burst my ear drums. Who is this? What is happening?

The voice cries out again, sobbing. "Someone, please!" she begs in anguish.

I stop in my tracks abruptly. My mother. It is the voice of my mother. It's been ten long years since I've heard it but this is unmistakable. What is happening? I'm losing my sanity. My hands are shaking and my head is spinning.

"Mom!" I yell back. But no response comes. The voice must be from the outside world. I look to the surface above me. My breathing suddenly stills for a moment. I stare at the waters above me. I must have stood there for a good ten minutes or so, just staring upward with my hands still trembling nervously. I finally come to.

_No!_ I silently scold myself. I am not going to leave to go to the world above. I am not part of that world anymore. _These voices are not real, _I keep repeating to myself.

The tormented voice comes again. "Please help!"

I shake my head, attempting to ignore the voices. I cap Riptide and try to still my trembling hands. I draw a deep breath and close my eyes, trying to block out everything else. I scold myself again for even considering to find the owner of the voice. _Ignore it, _I continue to repeat in my head.

"Please," the voice says, now hysterical with tears.

My heart fills will guilt and longing to find my mother. _Ignore it_, I say again, snapping myself out of these crazy thoughts.

She cries out again. "Percy!" My eyes widen. She is calling for me specifically. Someone in the world needs me again.

The sound of my mother crying out for me causes something inside of me to burst with emotions I've been holding back for years. I break out of my air bubble, shooting up towards the surface. Only one thought is running through my head: someone in the world needs me.

I finally reach the surface, now standing on a still, 6 foot wave that I unconsciously created. I frantically look around, trying to get my eyes adjusted to the brightness of this world above the sea. I haven't seen the sun in so long, and it's blinding. In time, my eyes adjust and just as my vision clears, I see a shadowy figure lunge at me. And I black out.

**A/N: **Sorry these chapters are going to be like "foundation chapters," meaning this is where you'll get all the necessary information before really going into the big plot. Thank you to everyone!


End file.
